Toledo Bend
Bi-State
Alliance

Locals voice their concerns

By JOSE CARMONA

Staff Writer

In an effort to reach Shelby County residents who have been affected by Toledo Bend’s water levels, The Toledo Bend Bi-State Alliance held a special meeting 7pm on February 18 at the Huxley Volunteer Fire Department’s meeting room.

The Toledo Bend Bi-State Alliance, established in late 1997, represents some 5,000 residents, business owners and other organizations in or around the lake, in both Texas and Louisiana. The Alliance is based in Hemphill, Texas and Anacoco, Louisiana.

"The Alliance’s main objective is to promote tourism and enhance Toledo Bend Reservoir as a recreational resource for both states," said Larry Kelly, Alliance co-chairman, who was joined by co-chairman Janna Lehman and several other members.

The participants, mostly local home and business owners, fishing guides and retirees, voiced their concerns on how the extreme water level fluctuations on the lake over the past few years have adversely affected them.

The Alliance has called for the Sabine River Authorities of Texas and Louisiana, the lake’s regulatory bodies, to cut power production when the reservoir reaches 168’ mean sea level (msl), with three exceptions.

The SRA’s of Texas and Louisiana have contracts with Entergy and Central Louisiana Electric Cooperative (CLECO) to generate power through the two hydroelectric generators at the dam.

The contracts between the two utilities and the authorities allow them to generate power when water levels at the lake are between 162.2’ and 172’msl.

Local marina and business owners, including fishing guides, experienced severe business losses due to the low water levels at the lake last summer. The lengthy drought, combined with a high level of electric power generation at the lake’s hydroelectric plants, drew more water through the dam, leaving boats at local marinas hanging high and dry.

The water level dropped to 163.77’ msl last summer, setting a new record, Kelly said. "Yet, 1998 was the 10th highest power-producing year in the 30-year history of the Toledo Bend Reservoir."

Additionally, residents with lakefront property have experienced high out-of-pocket expenses building and rebuilding brick walls, trying to prevent further loss of acreage due to erosion when lake levels are high. The lake’s normal top level is 172’ msl.

With regard to the recent flooding above and especially below the dam, many citizens living on the lake and below the dam, on the river, are questioning the current method used by the authorities for triggering the opening of the floodgates when high levels of rain occur in the Sabine River basin.

"Many people who live on the Sabine below the dam have contacted members of the Alliance and expressed their concerns," said Kelly.

To address the water level problems, the Alliance adopted a resolution in support of Simulation #6 of the Brown & Root Operating Guide Re-Evaluation Study, dated July of 1998.

"This study, at a cost of $50,000 was commissioned by the Toledo Bend Project Joint Operations Board and managed by the Toledo Bend Project Joint Technical Board without outside input," Kelly said.

"Simulation #6, one of eight computer simulations using actual flow data from the reservoir, shows that if the lake had been managed by the criteria in Simulation #6, more power would have been generated, and the lake would have experienced minimal time under 168’ msl over all," noted Kelly.

While this simulation is not utopia, Kelly admitted, the Alliance believes it is the best compromise to address these issues.

According to the Alliance’s records, Texas State Rep. Wayne Christian, R-Center, Texas Senator Drew Nixon, R-Carthage, U.S. Congressman Jim Turner, D-Crockett, Louisiana State Reps. Joe Salter and Mickey Frith, as well as Louisiana State Senators Mike Smith and James David Cain have all expressed their support for the adoption of a 168’ msl for Toledo Bend lake.

Governor George W. Bush, who appoints the board members to the Texas SRA, has been called, written, and emailed by numerous members of the Alliance over the past several months, said Kelly.

"But all the Alliance got from the Texas governor was a letter from Shlrley Green, Director of Correspondence and Constituent Services, in which she assured the Texas governor was aware of the problems and concerns expressed by the Alliance and trusted the Texas SRA to respond and treat all Texans fairly," Kelly said.

To that effect, the Alliance sent a letter to the Texas SRA requesting a special meeting, open to the public, to specifically discuss the problems unique to Toledo Bend.

In their response to the Alliance, The Texas SRA stated that the Brown & Root Study did not find any deficiencies with the current Operating Guide and the Power Sales Agreement precluded them from making a change to their operation, asking the Alliance to contact them again in April of 2001.

"The Alliance has requested the Texas SRA to reconsider their decision," Kelly added.

According to Kelly, Texas Senator Drew Nixon is in the process of drafting a bill to go before the current Texas Legislature that will require the SRA to adopt Simulation #6 of the Brown & Root Study as their new Operating Guide for Toledo Bend. A similar bill is expected to follow in the Louisiana Legislature in the coming months, he said.

For more information on the Alliance and their efforts, you can visit their web site at Toledo-Bend.com/alliance or contact co-chairmans Larry Kelly at 318-286-9946 or Janna Lehman at 409-625-3394.

Editor’s note: Patty Schaefer, of Hemphill, contributed to this article.